Various artists, 'I'll Stay 'Til After Christmas'

The buzz: Christmas standards are evocative, yes, but the holidays have plenty of room for greater musical expression. So says compiler Daniel Gill in this winsome, dreamy paean to a season historically known for both its good cheer and saddening suicides. "I'll Stay 'Til After Christmas" captures those polarities using the understated sonics of Blitzen Trapper, Au Revoir Simone, Radar Bros and more, delivering a nicely wrapped package that will deck your halls and your heart.

The verdict: "I'll Stay 'Til After Christmas" hews to the heavy chill. The stark beauty of Au Revoir's Simone's cover of Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Is Here" is a surreal dose of egg nog, while Le Loup's mellow "Shenandoah" is the perfect soundtrack for a sleigh ride. The kinetic glitch of Figurine's "The Holidays Behind Us" and the Papercuts' instrumental version of  "Go Tell It on the Mountain" quicken the relative pace, but only so Au's majestically weird "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and Blitzen Trapper's harmonic folk nugget "Christmas Is Coming" can bring it down again. By the time you get to Turk Dietrich's Lynchian soundscape "Blue Christmas," you'll feel like you've eaten Santa's brown acid. 

Did you know? Proceeds from the sale of "I'll Stay 'Til After Christmas" benefit Amnesty International.

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